Water treatment systems have been in existence for many years. These systems treat stormwater surface run-off or other polluted water. Stormwater surface runoff is of concern for two main reasons: one because of the effects of its volume and flow rate, and two, because of the pollution and contamination it can carry. The volume and flow rate of stormwater is important because high volumes and high flow rates can cause erosion and flooding. Pollution and contamination are important because stormwater is carried into our rivers and streams, from there into our lakes and wetlands, and furthermore because it can eventually reach our oceans. Pollution and contamination that is carried by stormwater can have adverse affects on the health and ecological balance of the environment.
Devices, systems and methods that remove or reduce the pollutants and contaminates and/or control peak flows and volumes are often referred to as best management practices or BMPs. BMPs utilize natural means, artificial or man-made means, and even combinations of either and/or both. Some examples of these BMPs include trash filters, sedimentation basins, retention and detention ponds, wetlands, infiltration trenches, grass swales, various types of media filters, and various types of natural filter systems including sand filters, and aggregate filters including natural and artificial wetlands. These BMPs typically use one or more mechanisms to remove the pollutants and contaminates. These mechanisms include sedimentation, filtration, absorption, adsorption, flocculation, stripping, leaching, bioremediation, and chemical process including oxidation reduction, ion exchange, and precipitation.
Furthermore, stormwater treatment systems can also be classified in relationship to the treatment level in which they are being used. In this respect the term treatment is generally used to describe the unit processes that that are used to reduce the quantities of pollutants and containments in stormwater runoff. For example, basic or pre-treatment typically refers to the removal of gross solids, sediments and larger debris through the processes of settling and screening, while enhanced or advanced treatment typically refers to processes for reducing targeted pollutants; filtration being the main form of enhanced treatment for stormwater. Filtration utilizes a combination of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Types of filtration greatly vary dependent on the media use. Medias can be both inert and/or sorbent and are also strongly linked to natural biological processes that thrive in and/or around the media environment.
There is, thus, a need for a device which is a filtration media which can clean water on its own or be incorporated into existing filtration systems. A device which can treat both wastewater and stormwater. A filtration media which can treat high levels of specific pollutants and contaminants.